World Athletics have recognised Michael O’Connor with the 2025 Coaching Achievement Award for his role in his daughter Kate’s success when winning four medals from her four championship appearances.
The award will be presented in Monaco on Sunday evening, along with the other World Athletics honours for 2025, with O’Connor singled out for his “athlete-centred philosophy” and outstanding commitment to athlete development.
Kate made Irish multi-event history this year, becoming just the sixth Irish athlete to win a World Championship medal outdoors with her heptathlon silver in Tokyo in September.
That completed a perfect medal score of four-from-four from each of her championship outings, each time improving her own Irish record. It started with her breakthrough performance in the five-event indoor pentathlon back in March, which she followed 12 days later with bronze at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn before upgrading to silver at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
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In honouring Michael O’Connor as her coach, World Athletics said: “With a coaching career spanning more than two decades, O’Connor’s path into the sport began through a degree in construction and a postgraduate certificate in education – a route that equipped him with skills in planning, structure and long-term goal-setting that now shape the foundation of his coaching philosophy.
“A committed lifelong learner, O’Connor has surrounded himself with world-class practitioners and sought mentorship from some of the most respected figures in global coaching. This network has helped him stay at the forefront of performance methodology, continually refining his approach to elevate the athletes he works with.”
O’Connor has coached his daughter since she first started in athletics as 10-year-old. It’s the second honour for the Dundalk family this week, as on Wednesday Kate was named Athlete of the Year at the Athletics Ireland awards in Dublin.
Her indoor medals were the first won by any Irish senior athlete in a multi-event. O’Connor then made another breakthrough in the seven-event heptathlon, winning gold at the World University Games in Germany in July, where she improved her Irish record to 6,487 points.
She improved that record again to 6,714 points in Tokyo, setting personal bests in five of the seven events.
“I am truly surprised and deeply grateful to receive this honour,” said O’Connor. “My coaching journey has taken many twists and turns, and I’ve been fortunate to be supported along the way by many exceptional coaches and practitioners, many of whom I’m privileged to still work alongside today.
“Their expertise, dedication, and unwavering belief continue to shape and elevate the work we do every day.
“It has been a privilege and a joy to coach this athlete and to witness her achieve extraordinary things in recent years,” he added. “I am humbled by this recognition and profoundly thankful to my current coaching and support network, whose commitment makes achievements like this possible, and to everyone who has been part of the journey.”
World Athletics also acknowledged his meticulous approach, with O’Connor equally focused on technical detail and long-term strategic planning: “His athlete-centred philosophy ensures not only performance excellence but a supportive environment for continuous growth, both for his athletes and himself as a coach.”
For Kate, who turns 25 next month, already on the medal agenda next year are the World Indoor Championships in Poland in March and the European Championships in Birmingham in August.
The Commonwealth Games will also be staged in Glasgow at the end of July, at which the Newry-born O’Connor will represent Northern Ireland, having already won heptathlon silver in 2022.
